The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1887-10-04
BOARD OF HEALTH.
Expedition to Kauai.
Investigating Proposition
For Local Segregation
of Lepers.

L
cellency L. 4. Thurston, Minister of
Interior, DR.. n. B. Emerson, Presi-
dent of the Board of Health, and Mr..
W., E. Rowell, Superintendent of
Public Works, all of them members
OF the Board of Health, embarked for
Kauai on the steamer Mikahala.
They returned by the same steamer
on Sunday, when a representative of
this paper obtained from the Presi-
dent of the Board an account of the
expedition.
BY an arrangement with the Cap
tain of the boat, and with the con
sent of Mr.. G.. n. Wilcox, an 1. 1. S. n.
Co. director, the Mikahala called at
the valley of Kalalau on the morning
of Thursday. Leaving Waimea they
steamed along the Coast for about Is
miles. The view of the mountain
cliffs was wonderful, the carving of
nature being declared by the mem
bers of the party as unsurpassed on
these islands in beauty and sublimity.
This was especially true of the pin
nacles and gorges next to the above
named valley. The mountains back
are 1000 or 5000 feet of an elevation
at their highest. The only access to
the valley is by a difficult trail over
the mountains, or by another trail
along the precipitous cliffs of the
coast in the direction of Haena, on
the Hanalei side During nearly six
months access by boats is forbidden
on account of the breakers, the sand
of the beach for that time being
washed away Sd as to leave nothing
but a rocky beach This stormy
period lasts from October or Novem-
Der to March or April.
The expedition left the steamer in
boats and were carried through the
surf in canoes, making very exciting
business for which the party pre-
pared by removing their foot gear.
They found fine sandy beach of
about 200 feet in breadth to the over
hanging bluffs. There horses were
found in waiting, on which they
rode to the village, a distance of
about third or half mile, accom-
panied by a large number of the
population, which altogether APP
proaches sixty or seventy souls, in
Guiding about twelve lepers and one
Chinaman. The rest of the popula-
lation are a fine, healthy lot of people,
above the average for large and sym
metrical physique. There was nota
bly, a healthy looking band of children,
numbering twenty-three, attending
the school.
The food resources of the valley
are abundant There are at least
seventy-tive acres of land either under
cultivation in taro or capable of being
so cultivated. Many more acres are
suitable for raising Irish or sweet
potatoes, vans, bananas, sugar cane,
etc. There is a fine stream Of water
which in the present dry month is
more than ample for all necessities,
irrigation as well as household.
Reaching the settlement, the ezpe-
dition rode inland far enough to gain
a fair view of the larger part Of the
valley, thus assuring themselves of
its extent and resources. This is the
valley to which the lepers of the
Island Of Kauai are said to desire to
be transferred, that they may here be
segregated from the rest of the peo-
pie, and thus be permitted to escape
removal to the leper settlement at
Kalawao. 1t was with the purpose of
gaining accurate information on this
point, and seeing for themselves how
the land lay, that these three mem
bers of the Board of Health made this
visit to the valley.
Having ascertained the foregoing
facts of the expedition from the
President of the Board of Health, the
GAZETTE representative inquired as
to the impressions their observations
left regarding the object above men
toned.
DR., Emerson replied that, so far as
concerned resources for furnishing
food supplies to a leper settlement,
he was convinced that the valley IN
der. cultivation could supply taro and
other vegetable food for at least 500
people; also probably goodly pro
portion of the meat and fish supply,
provided that there were hands to do
the work
As to whether the lepers would be
as effectively isolated as at Kalawao,
the President replied that at Kalawao
access was definitely limited to two
routes-the first over the pail and the
second round by sea; at Kalalau,
however, communication would be
possible by three routes, for six or
seven months of the year by sea as
previously stated, and during the
whole year either by the way over the
pali-the route now pursued by the
mail carrier-or along the cliffs to
Haena, which was the way Mr.. Rowell
took to reach Hanalei. That gentle
man found this route very fatiguing,
but perfectly feasible.
1t was ascertained, further, that the
proposition of advocates of the plan
is to remove the healthy people of